Hug a Hoodie: The Friendly Side of Personalised Hoodies

Anti Social Social Club

UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s notorious advice that people should all ‘hug a hoodie’ has been much publicised and discussed. After the London riots it has come under scrutiny again. Hoodies, certainly among the older generation, have evolved all sorts of negative connotations. Many young people, however, don’t realize why this should be so.

For many totally law-abiding young people, the humble hoodie is a warm, comfortable clothing choice and nothing more. Personalised hoodies have grown to be especially popular among the younger generation, being a great way showing your support for a club, team, group or cause. Plenty of youngsters get hooded sweatshirts composed as a keepsake from old schools, or fun group holidays. Hoodies are frequently used in an effort to remember positive experiences. Why do hoodie-wearers have this type of bad reputation?

One possibility is that, although the vast majority of youngsters wear hoodies, the only real ones who make it into the media are those that are around no good. This may lead the elderly to assume that it is young thugs and criminals alone who wear hoodies. This could imply that all hoodies, even friendly personalised hoodies, get unfairly judged and maligned.

Contact with perfectly nice youngsters who wear personalised hoodies, or hoodies generally, may help the older generations to realise that the image of the dangerous, out-of-control youngsters in hoodies, is not the norm.

Another element which might make people wary of hoodie wearers, if they wear personalised hoodies or otherwise, is the condition and design of hoodies and promotional hoodies. You’ll no doubt have seen signs in shop windows which read: ‘NO HOODS IN STORE’. The point that hoodies have an, eponymous, hood may appear obvious but it is something can make people nervous since it obscures the faces of wearers.

The images in the media of faceless gangs of youths in hoodies, even yet in personalised hoodies, can look particularly menacing, simply because their faces are hidden. When you are unable to see the faces of large groups it could seem scary due to insufficient human connection. Mostly, however, this prejudice against the humble hoodie is really a media construct, mixed with just a little bit of class snobbery and fear of the young…a distressing cocktail when you think about it.


Why not show that personalised hoodies are just as fun, lovable, stylish and friendly as the next item of clothing. Since personalised hoodies are fully customisable it is possible to spread any message you like using them. Use personalised hoodies to demonstrate school pride, university affiliation and club membership.